- 192
Fernand Léger
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Fernand Léger
- Le Pot bleu
- Signed F. Léger and dated 39 (lower right)
- Oil on canvas
- 18 1/4 by 13 in.; 46.3 by 33.1 cm
Provenance
Galerie Simon, Paris
Paul Éluard, Paris
Alfred Richet, Paris (acquired from the above in 1943 and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 29, 1994, lot 17)
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie's, Paris, December 2, 2010, lot 64)
Acquired at the above sale
Paul Éluard, Paris
Alfred Richet, Paris (acquired from the above in 1943 and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 29, 1994, lot 17)
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie's, Paris, December 2, 2010, lot 64)
Acquired at the above sale
Literature
Georges Bauquier, ed., Fernand Léger, Catalogue raisonné 1938-1943, Paris, 1998, no. 1042, illustrated p. 108
Condition
The canvas is not lined. Close inspection reveals some minor abrasion to the extreme edges. There is no evidence of retouching under UV light; this work is in excellent original condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Aroused by his political sensibilities and a recognition of the social potential of art, Léger's compositions of the late 1930s were revolutionary in their aim of breaking down the divides between high and low culture to celebrate the beauty of everyday objects. In seeking to appeal to the masses, Léger's new aesthetic categorically rejected the need for narrative, irrevocably subverting conventional means of pictorial representation. These compositions demanded a revised set of laws if they were to be read, laws governed by instinct and visualization in place of education and class.
Le Pot bleu is emblematic of this new aesthetic, which saw objects from the natural world or everyday life transformed into dynamic, almost abstract compositions. Taking as his subject a simple household item and surrounding it with associated and contrasting organic objects, Léger stripped down each element to its bare essence of color and form. By eliminating any sense of perspective, the flat planes thus float in space, layered claustrophobically so that no shape is permitted to be the primary focus of the composition. These vivid, undulating forms are rendered here in predominantly primary tones outlined in black; colors that, according to Léger, express the reality of the medium of painting. His aim was for the plastic beauty of his art to "provide the masses with a sort of aesthetic relief" (Carolyn Lanchner, Fernand Léger (exhibition catalogue), New York, 1998, p. 225).
The sculptural boldness of form, line and color which characterizes the present work, reflects the concepts of Alexander Calder (see fig. 1). Léger had met the American sculptor in 1930 and the two soon formed a firm friendship, cemented by their shared aesthetic principles, with the painter soon afterward writing the introduction to an exhibition of Calder's sculpture in Paris.
Le Pot bleu is emblematic of this new aesthetic, which saw objects from the natural world or everyday life transformed into dynamic, almost abstract compositions. Taking as his subject a simple household item and surrounding it with associated and contrasting organic objects, Léger stripped down each element to its bare essence of color and form. By eliminating any sense of perspective, the flat planes thus float in space, layered claustrophobically so that no shape is permitted to be the primary focus of the composition. These vivid, undulating forms are rendered here in predominantly primary tones outlined in black; colors that, according to Léger, express the reality of the medium of painting. His aim was for the plastic beauty of his art to "provide the masses with a sort of aesthetic relief" (Carolyn Lanchner, Fernand Léger (exhibition catalogue), New York, 1998, p. 225).
The sculptural boldness of form, line and color which characterizes the present work, reflects the concepts of Alexander Calder (see fig. 1). Léger had met the American sculptor in 1930 and the two soon formed a firm friendship, cemented by their shared aesthetic principles, with the painter soon afterward writing the introduction to an exhibition of Calder's sculpture in Paris.